Interesting development plans for Eataly must be expected in the USA, according to ‘Corriere Ortofrutticolo’ newspaper. The chain founded by Oscar Farinetti, which already boasts two stores in New York and Chicago, in five years should more than double its presence in the USA, by opening a second store in New York and new stores in Boston and Los Angeles. The operation would focus especially in the next two years with two openings.
This plan is the result of good business Eataly boasts in the US and especially in New York, where the chain employs 700 people. The store at 200, 5th Avenue, which exhibits the best of Italian food, is coordinated by Dino Borri. He, too, is a native of Bra (Cuneo), as the entire founding team of Eataly, beginning from Farinetti. This store is visited by over 20,000 visitors a day.
These data emerged during the visit made by the members of the current mission carried out in New York by Omnibus, the service company of ‘Corriere Ortofrutticolo’. The delegates, representing Sicilian and Sardinian companies eager to approach the American market, visited the store on Fifth Avenue and met Dino Borri, who explained in detail the characteristics of the US market and in particular in New York.
There are two key elements to be accepted in New York: carefully follow the market rules, which are very precise (and exclude some products from the outset), and have a distributor on site, who will become the reference for end customers. This last aspect, as regards specifically fruits and vegetables, was also confirmed at Morton Williams Supermarkets, 15 high quality stores including 12 sale points in Manhattan, where the delegates met Marc Goldman, 'produces supervisor' (the responsible person for fruit and vegetables ).
The competition is played not only with domestic production in the States, which is more and more strong and specialized, but also with fruit and vegetables coming from Centre and South America, in particular Mexico. Even blood orange - for which there is a great interest - is no longer produced in Sicily only. But there is space and, in such an area as New York, consumer prices are profitable for the whole chain.
